Trejo’s Steak Sauce

For a while we had a bone-in rib eye on the menu at the Cantina, as a sort of homage to the great steakhouses of L.A., like the Pacific Dining Car and Musso & Frank (see this page). We wanted to serve it with a Mexican-ish take on the classic A.1. steak sauce, so we used guajillo chiles and agave along with the flavors packed into a bottle of A.1.: it’s tangy and sweet and so good you’ll want to eat it with a spoon.

Makes about 2 cups

1 medium head garlic (about 10 cloves), cloves separated and peeled

1 large red onion, roughly diced

6 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed

½ cup canola oil

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons agave syrup

1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo (see Trejo’s Tip)

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra to taste

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Spread the garlic cloves and diced onion on an 11 x 17-inch sheet pan and bake until they are golden brown and soft, about 45 minutes. Leaving the oven on, transfer the garlic and onions to a blender.

Place the guajillo chiles on the sheet pan and bake them until they are fragrant and lightly toasted, 2 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a low boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let the water cool for 5 minutes.

Add the chiles to the water, cover the saucepan, and set it aside for 20 minutes to let the chiles soften.

Drain the chiles and roughly chop them. Put them in the blender with the garlic and onions and add the oil, lime juice, agave, adobo sauce, salt, chile powder, cumin, and red wine vinegar. Blend until smooth, then taste and add more salt if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.